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Tip: Enhance Low-Light FinishLynx Captures with an Ellipsoidal Spotlight

Posted on August 1, 2013 - 11:05 am by
Cycling photo finish with ellipsoidal spotlight
Cycling finish line with Ellipsoidal spotlight.

Capturing crystal-clear photo finish images can be especially challenging during low-light situations (e.g., night-time events or dim indoor lighting). Because the EtherLynx 2000+ and Fusion cameras are equipped with very light-sensitive image sensors, most Lynx users will never have issues with low-light conditions. The FinishLynx software also has built-in controls for adjusting the brightness, contrast, gamma, gain, and Phased Light Compensation. But adding artificial lighting to your finish line can also be a great way to enhance the clarity and contrast of your finish line images in low-light settings.

Flood lights and halogen lamps are both viable finish line lighting options. Lynx service provider Rob Whitacre from GC Racing has found an especially elegant solution for capturing low-light cycling events: an ellipsoidal spotlight. According to Rob:

A tool that has helped me a lot for low light situations is a theatrical ellipsoidal spotlight. Since I do many evening events at our velodrome and road cycling events at night the ellipsoidal light has been a very good tool. I used a Source 4 ellipsoidal made by ETC. What is nice with the ellipsoidal is it has shutters so you can create shapes with the light as opposed to a massive spot. I make a rectangle with the light focused only on the finish line.

The ellipsoidal spotlight allows for light to be focused across the entire length of the finish line. This produces image captures that are more uniform and evenly lit. Unlike stadium lighting, which can strobe 50-60 cycles per second and distort images, the ellipsoidal spotlight has a frequency that prevents any such distortion.  See the image below for a real FinishLynx capture taken with the spotlight in use.

low-light finishlynx cycling image
Low-light FinishLynx image captured while using an ellipsoidal spotlight.

 

Have your own lighting tips and tricks? Share them in the comments or on our Facebook Fan Page.

 

Remote Control Car Demo with FinishLynx, IdentiLynx, & RFID Chip Integration

Posted on June 24, 2013 - 3:02 pm by

We love testing hardware at our Headquarters in Haverhill. It gives all the employees a chance to have some hands-on time with the technology. Last Friday, we decided to have a little fun with the demo. So we setup the FinishLynx Triad (Photo-Finish + RFID + IdentiLynx Video) and attached RFID chips to a few very fast remote-control cars.

The afternoon demo gave everyone a chance to capture and evaluate races using FinishLynx. It was also a great opportunity to show off the integration of RFID tracking technology inside the software. People came for the pizza and stayed for the remote control car crashes. See below to view some images and watch the demo video:

Upgrade Now with the 2013 Summer Promotion For U.S. Customers

Posted on June 21, 2013 - 2:22 pm by

photo finish camera certification

For the ninth year in a row, we are holding a Summer Promotion for all our U.S. customers. We’re offering substantial incentives to those who upgrade their FinishLynx systems during the summer months. With U.S. high schools and colleges closed for summer vacation, things are much quieter here at our office in Haverhill. That means our support team and technicians have more time to spend on testing, upgrading, and recertifying FinishLynx cameras to make sure they’re working flawlessly for your next event. This year, the four promotions include:

  • Camera Upgrades
  • Extended Warranties
  • IdentiLynx Packages
  • Scholastic to Bronze Upgrades

Have you considered adding one of our popular camera upgrades like Color, Timing, High-Resolution, or FLEX? Have you been looking to buy an IdentiLynx head-on video camera? Or maybe the warranty on your EtherLynx camera has expired and you’d like to add a couple more years of protection? No problem. Now is the time to make your upgrades. Because when you purchase one of the applicable upgrades this summer, you’ll also receive a free bonus, like free Camera Service & Recertification or Free Standard Shipping.

The 2013 U.S. Summer Promotion runs from June 1 until August 31. Contact our Domestic Sales team to request the current status of your system, cameras, or warranties. See below for additional details on the promotion options available.

[button link=”mailto:domsales@finishlynx.com?subject=Summer%20Promotion” color=”#55009c” text=”light”]Email Domestic Sales Now[/button]

Allyson Felix Sprints to 150m World Record at the Great City Games

Posted on June 3, 2013 - 2:52 pm by

Manchester, England – On Saturday, May 25th, Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix won the 150m sprint at the Great City Games. Her time of  16.36 also set a new world record for the event. The competitors ran the 150m event on a straight track surface laid down on Deansgate, a major road in Manchester’s city centre.

Felix has admitted that she loves running outside the typical stadium environment. Her world record performance at the Great City Games on Saturday will only further reinforce that preference. While there had been some headwinds at the outdoor venue throughout the day, Felix’s 16.36 WR was recorded with a small tailwind of (+0.2 m/s). (more…)

On the Beach with Usain Bolt in Brazil

Posted on April 10, 2013 - 11:12 am by

The Confederação Brasileira de Atletismo Times Usain Bolt on Copacabana Beach.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – On Sunday March 31, the timing team affiliated with the Confederação Brasileira de Atletismo went to the famous Copacabana beach for a unique event. With an EtherLynx PRO as the primary timing camera, an EtherLynx Fusion for reverse angle images, ReacTime (mounted without the speaker units as audio was sent through the Public Address system), a Lynx electronic starting system, and multiple Microgate photocells, this event may have been taking place on a beach famous for its parties, but the technology in use was definitely serious. (more…)

Nordic Skiing Marathon Birkebeinerrennet integrates FinishLynx results

Posted on March 20, 2013 - 1:43 pm by

Birkebeinerrennet Nordic Skiing FinishLynx Image
Birkebeinerrennet Lynx Image

Lillehammer, Norway– Birkebeinerrennet, the famous cross country skiing marathon in Norway, has integrated FinishLynx photo finish technology into the event’s sophisticated results system. The annual event is one of the oldest and most challenging races in the Worldloppet Federation. The 2013 event was held on March 13th and featured 16,500 of the world’s finest Nordic skiers. The Birkebeinerrennet course begins in Rena, Norway and continues 65 grueling kilometers (40.38 miles) to Lillehammer. (more…)

Record-Setting Results at the 2013 US Indoor Track & Field Championships

Posted on March 4, 2013 - 7:38 pm by

Jenn Suhr new World Record
Jenn Suhr poses after setting a new pole vault WR

Albuquerque, NM – It was a record-setting weekend in Albuquerque as the nation’s finest track & field athletes competed in the 2013 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships from March 1 – 3, 2013. FinishLynx service provider Flash Results was on-site to provide fully automatic timing and results for the USATF event. The three-day meet was packed with great finishes, but it was record-breaking performances from Jenn Suhr, Mary Cain, Will Lear, and Ryan Whiting  that stole the show.

World Record and a World Leader

Jenn Suhr set a new world record in the Pole Vault, and Ryan Whiting set a world’s best mark of the year in the Shot Put this weekend in Albuquerque. Suhr picked up her ninth American record and set the new women’s pole vault world record when she cleared 5.02m. Suhr’s successful 5.02m leap broke the previous world record of 5.01m set by Russian Yelena Isinbayeva in 2012. Suhr also became only the second woman in history to clear the 5-meter mark in a pole vault competition.

Shot-putter Ryan Whiting improved on his own world leading mark this past weekend. Whiting tossed 21.80m and edged out runner-up Cory Martin by 0.87m.

Record-Setting Indoor Milers

Will Leer and Mary Cain took home first-place finishes in the men’s and women’s miles this past weekend. Nike’s Will Leer ran the fastest ever indoor mile recorded “at-altitude,” finishing at 3:58.79. Leer beat New Balance’s Craig Miller by just 0.11, thanks a very strong final kick.

In the women’s mile, high school wunderkind Mary Cain took home the US Indoor Championship with a time of 5:05.68. The 16-year-old athlete has been on a hot streak all season. Cain is the first high school athlete to win an indoor title since Allyson Felix did it on 2003. Felix went on the win Olympic Gold later in her career. There is no doubt that Mary Cain has a promising career ahead.

World-Class FinishLynx Results

US Indoor Championships Results
TV Commentators Ato Boldon & Dan O’Brien view FinishLynx results at the 2013 Indoor Championships

It was the seasoned timing team from Flash Results that produced the track and field results at the US Indoor Championships. Given the scale of the event, Flash Results spared no expense creating its FinishLynx configuration for the meet. The setup included:

Flash also used ResulTV to send results and photo-finish images directly to the television broadcast team. It’s an amazing thing to see all the moving pieces of a complex results network function smoothly behind the scenes. Congrats to everyone involved in another successful USA Indoor Championship meet.

Lynx Technology at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Brasov

Posted on February 22, 2013 - 3:06 pm by

February 17 – 22, 2013: The Short Track Speed Skating competition at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Brasov Romania featured FinishLynx Timing and Results production.

1000 m Ladies FINAL
1000 m Ladies FINAL : With only 2/1,000th second between 1st and 2nd place it is always nice to have FinishLynx photo finish to make the call.

Logo of European Youth Olympic Winter Festival

This marks a continuation of the long-standing endorsement and utilization of Lynx technology by ISU sanctioned events. The  Winter European Youth Olympic Festival represents the top events for approximately 1,300 young athletes between the ages of 14 and 18. The competition is organised in two-year cycles, always in odd years, and is sponsored by the Association of European Olympic Committees (EOC). (more…)

FinishLynx technology at the 2013 IAAF Winter Permit Meeting in Moscow

Posted on February 4, 2013 - 4:52 pm by

 

Russian Athletics Russian Winter Permit Meeting

Ever since Lynx partnered with the ARAF in July 2012, our Russian partners from Elastomer have been hard at work training with FinishLynx technology at events across the country. Well now we’re proud to announce that Elastomer has successfully completed its first large-scale IAAF athletics competition. The Russian crew provided timing and results for the 2013 IAAF Winter Permit Meeting this past weekend in Moscow, Russia. (more…)

New Balance Indoor Games 2013

Posted on February 4, 2013 - 2:39 pm by

New Balance Indoor Games 2013

Mary Cain - 16 years old New American Record in 2 mile Mary Cain – 16 years old sets a New American High School Record in 2 mile

FinishLynx technology provided timing and results for the New Balance Indoor meet on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. The IAAF permit meet saw 16 year old Mary Cain run 9:38.68 for 2 miles – a performance that is the single best mark in US HS girl’s distance history. Cain broke the existing record (held by Melody Fairchild for over 20 years) by more than 17 seconds. (more…)

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